2022 Business Registration and Employment Survey

Business registration and employment survey statistics for 2022 have been released today by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA).

• The latest figures from the Northern Ireland Business Registration and Employment Survey (BRES) were released to the public by NISRA at 9.30am this morning. Data pertains to September 5, 2022. The corresponding figures for the UK as a whole will be published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on 25 October 2023.
• BRES is an annual statutory survey of companies seeking information about working managers, the work of their employees, and business activities. NISRA would like to thank the companies that responded to our survey. Business research data has many uses. Most recently, during the pandemic, they informed the development, implementation and evaluation of coronavirus-related business support schemes.
• BRES counts the number of jobs, not the number of people in jobs. Therefore, people who hold both full-time and part-time jobs, or people who hold two part-time jobs, will be counted twice. Here are the key facts from the breaking news.

Total employment in Northern Ireland as of September 2022 was 836,873 people

• Total employment in Northern Ireland as of September 2022 was 836,873. Employment includes employees as well as the number of working owners who receive drawings and a share of profits but are not paid on pay-as-you-earn (PAYE). The largest proportion of working owners was in the construction industry (6,161 people, or 14% of total construction employment).

Employee employment grew by 1.7% in the year to September 2022

• According to BRES 2022, total employment in Northern Ireland as of September 2022 was 805,848 people. This represents an increase in employee employment by 13,222 people (1.7%) compared to September 2021.

Employment increased in construction, manufacturing, and services, but decreased in other industries.

• The services industry accounts for the majority of employment in Northern Ireland, accounting for 81% (655,661 jobs). The second largest industry was manufacturing, with 88,026 (11%) jobs, and together they accounted for more than 9 in 10 jobs (92%) for workers in Northern Ireland.
• Employment increased in manufacturing, services, and construction, but declined in other sectors throughout the year, following increases in all major industries last year. Employee employment growth was driven by growth in the service industry (11,193 jobs), which accounted for 85% of the total increase.
• Construction and manufacturing both increased in the year to September 2022, with construction adding 829 jobs (2.2%) and manufacturing adding 1,323 jobs (1.5%). The growth rate was higher than that of the construction industry (0.8%).

Increased employment of employees in both public and private sectors

• BRES 2022 estimated private sector employment at 587,210 people, an increase of 1.5% (8,797 people) year-on-year. Public sector employment totaled 218,638 people, an increase of 2.1% (4,425 people) over the same period.
• 27% of NI’s workforce jobs are in the public sector. This equates to his 18% in the UK as a whole.

Employment increases in all council areas in Northern Ireland except Mid and East Antrim

• All district council areas in Northern Ireland saw an increase in employee employment, although a very small, modest decline (20 jobs) was observed in Mid-East Antrim and Antrim Region over the year. Belfast had the largest increase in employment (3,623 jobs, 1.6%), while Lisburn and Castlereagh had the largest increase in employment, at 3.3% (2,018 jobs).
• Employee turnover at the district council area level was mainly driven by the increase in service occupations. This was particularly true for Belfast (2,758 cases) and Lisburn and Castlereagh (2,177 cases).
• Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon ​​saw the biggest increase in construction jobs over the year (371 jobs or 8.4%), while Lisburn and Castlereagh saw the highest increase (9.0% or 314 jobs). Mid-Ulster experienced the largest decline in employment for construction workers (6.2%, 369 jobs).
• Newry Morne and Down have had the largest increase in manufacturing employment (9.1% or 746 people) of the 11 district council areas, while Lisburn and Castlereagh have had the largest decline (8.1%). or 483 people).

Note to editors:

1. The statistical bulletin and related tables are available on the BRES Publication and Tables 2022 page of the NISRA website.

2. The Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency would like to thank the businesses that responded to the Business Register and Employment Survey (BRES).

3. The latest Northern Ireland Business Registration and Employment Survey (BRES) statistics were released to the public by NISRA at 9.30am this morning. These data were collected on September 5, 2022. The corresponding figures for the UK as a whole will be published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on 28 September 2023.

4. BRES is an annual survey of companies that asks for information on employee numbers and business activities. In 2022, approximately 34,000 businesses (approximately 44% of Northern Ireland’s VAT and/or PAYE registered businesses) were surveyed, achieving a valid response rate of 74%. The 2022 sample size allows us to disaggregate employee jobs into smaller geographic and lower industry levels.

5. BRES counts the number of jobs, not the number of people in jobs. Therefore, people who hold both full-time and part-time jobs, or people who hold two part-time jobs, will be counted twice. Estimates of jobs for employees in Northern Ireland are reported by gender and working pattern.

6. BRES data is disaggregated at a geographical level south of Northern Ireland. Most of the geographic information is based on the location of jobs at the regional unit level. Companies often relocate employee jobs from one region to another. This results in changes in the number of employees employed at the geographic level. Therefore, a transfer or change in reporting procedures by a large employer may impact her BRES subNI analysis when making annual comparisons.

7. The BRES report will be of interest to policy makers, public bodies, the business community, banks, economic commentators, academics and the general public with an interest in regional economies.

8. For media inquiries, please contact the Department for the Economy Press Office at pressoffice@economy-ni.gov.uk.

9. Executive Information Services provides after-hours service. Media inquiries only From Monday to Friday from 18:00 to 08:00 and on weekends and public holidays. The duty press officer can be contacted on 028 9037 8110.

10. To stay up to date with the latest news from the department, follow us on the following social media channels:

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Responsible statistician: Andrew Dunn, Economic and Labor Market Statistics (ELMS), andrew.dunn@nisra.gov.uk or telephone: 028 90529437

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